GameTap Adds Strategy Classics to Roster

Fans of old-school strategy/tactical games will be thrilled to hear that GameTap has added three of the best to their online lineup. Myth II: Soulblighter, Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, and X-Com: UFO Defense are all now available from the service. The Myth games, you might like to know, came from Bungie, back when they were still primarily programming games for Macs. (And if you already knew that, +10 to me liking you.) Alpha Centauri and X-Com are just plain legendary, part of that exalted library that today’s designers point to as getting them interested in making games.

I must confess, I don’t have GameTap, and have been wondering if I should. If you’ve given it a try, or are a current subscriber, please sound off and let me know what your experiences have been like.

The usual sorts of blathering follow.

GameTap Adds More Top-Rated Strategy Franchises

Since its launch more than a year ago, GameTap Thursday continues the tradition of adding top game titles each week to GameTap’s already massive on-demand catalogue of more than 800 console, arcade and computer video games. With so many classic game titles, as well as some of the best played franchise games of recent years, here are some recently added strategy gems you should know about:

Myth II™: Soulblighter:
Two of the Myth series’ epic sword & sorcery sequels debut today on
GameTap. Myth 2 was born from the creative minds at Bungie Studios, who brought the gaming world one the biggest franchises of all time – Halo.
Mixing strategy with fantasy, this medieval masterpiece will win over gamers who like a good evening of dungeon crawling and undead skewering. When Soulblighter originally launched, GameSpot said “Myth 2
is about as good as a computer game can possibly be.”

“The recent release of Myth 2 on GameTap warmed many Bungie hearts,” said
Harold Ryan, Studio Manager at Bungie Studios. “Now Myth 2 is going to be more accessible for contemporary gamers who will get to enjoy one of the most fun and addictive real time strategy games ever made, if we say so ourselves.”

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri™:
Alpha Centauri reflects one of the greatest contributions to evolving the strategy genre. As you explore an alien planet, it is up to you to uncover its mysteries, build your empire, and conquer your enemies with the ultimate war machine. This title received a score of 98 from PC
Gamer, their highest game score rating to date.

“Not only is Sid
Meier’s Alpha Centauri one of the most intricate and subtle game systems I’ve worked on, it was great fun creating the characters and populating the world,” said Brian Reynolds, CEO Big Huge Games and
Alpha Centauri Lead Designer. “I’m thrilled that GameTap is making the game widely available again.”

X-Com: UFO Defense:
Scoring a 94% on GameRankings.com, this legendary turn-based game is one of the defining titles of the genre. Players lead a top-secret paramilitary group tasked with protecting Earth from hostile aliens, while relying on both combat and management simulation gameplay to save the day.

Players can visit the GameTap Vault to get access to even more top strategy games such as Myth III, Civilization III Gold
Edition, Command & Conquer, Homeworld I and II, Heroes of Might and
Magic I, II and III, and Empire Earth.